TIPS FOR A HEALTHY DIET

 

Do you think you are eating in a healthy and balanced way?

 

Follow these 7 tips:

1.       Check your weight and always stay active

2.       Consume more grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits

3.       Choose quality fats and limit the quantity

4.       Limit sugars, sweets, and sugary drinks

5.       Drink plenty of water every day

6.       Use little salt

7.       Consume alcoholic beverages in controlled quantities

 

1. Check your weight and always stay active

Weigh yourself once a month and check that your Body Mass Index (BMI) or Body Mass Index (BMI) falls within the normal weight range. The BMI is an index that takes into account the weight of the individual in relation to his or her height. It is calculated by dividing the weight (in kg) by the square of the height (in meters).

This classification is valid only for adults and is independent of the age and sex of the individual. This classification also does not take into account the relative percentages of lean mass and fat mass.

If your weight does not fall within the normal weight range, consult your doctor and consult a nutrition specialist. Avoid unbalanced or very drastic "do it yourself" diets, which can be harmful to your health. Remember that a good diet should always include all foods in as balanced a way as possible.

 

Achieving a correct body weight is not achieved only through a balanced diet but also through a more physically active life. To avoid a sedentary lifestyle, get used to carrying out daily activities using muscles rather than machines: for example, walk instead of using the car, go up and down stairs rather than take the lift, do small housework manually.

 

2. Consume more grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits

Cereals vegetables healthy nutrition advice nutritionist florence Cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruit are important foods because they provide carbohydrates (especially starch and fiber) but also vitamins, minerals and organic acids. Additionally, grains and legumes are also good sources of protein.

In addition, the consumption of an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables allows to reduce the energy density of the diet. This is not only because the fat content and the overall calorie intake are limited but also because the satiating power of these foods is particularly high.

So, how to behave?

 

• Eat more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day.
•  Increase your consumption of fresh and dried legumes (chickpeas, beans, peas, broad beans, and lentils).
• Consume bread, pasta, rice and other grains regularly, preferably whole grains.
• When you can, choose products made from wholemeal flours and not with the simple addition of bran or other fibers.

 

3. Choose quality fats and limit the quantity

Fats oil healthy nutrition advice nutritionist florence To feel good, you need to introduce a balanced amount of fat with your diet, without overdoing it or losing it. In addition, qualitatively fats can be very different. In fact, their chemical composition varies, and in particular that of fatty acids. The different quality of fats can have important effects on the state of nutrition and human health. Finally, cholesterol is found in fats of animal origin. This cholesterol contained in food can contribute to causing an increase in blood cholesterol levels.

So, how to behave?

 

• Moderate the amount of fats and oils you use for seasoning and cooking; possibly use non-stick pans, foil or steam cooking.
• Limit the consumption of seasoning fats of animal origin (butter, lard, lard, cream).
• Prefer seasoning fats of vegetable origin, especially extra virgin olive oil.
• Use seasoning fats preferably raw and avoid reusing cooked fats and oils.
• Do not exceed the consumption of fried foods.
• Eat fish more often, both fresh and frozen (2/3 times a week).
• Prefer lean meats and eliminate visible fat.
• Eat 2 eggs a week.
• Preferably choose skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, which still maintains its calcium content.
• All cheeses contain high amounts of fat: choose the leaner ones anyway or eat smaller portions.

 

4. Limit sugars, sweets, and sugary drinks

Sweet tips healthy nutrition nutritionist florence The sweet taste is linked to simple sugars: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose and lactose.

These simple sugars are found in sweet foods and drinks: fructose, glucose and sucrose are contained in ripe fruit and honey; sucrose (commonly called table sugar) is obtained by extraction from both beet and sugar cane; maltose is contained in cereals; lactose is contained in milk.

 

To satisfy the desire for a sweet taste, it is preferable to consume baked goods rather than candies, bars, chocolate. This is because baked goods contain, in addition to simple sugars, also complex sugars (starch) and other nutrients. Instead the second group of foods contains mainly sucrose and fats.

 

The consumption of simple sugars, especially if taken alone, quickly causes a rapid rise in blood sugar (glucose concentration in the blood), which then tends to return to its initial value within a more or less long period.

 

Simple sugars can be consumed as sources of energy for the body within the limits of 10-15% of the daily calorie intake.

So, how to behave?

 

• Moderate consumption of sweet foods and drinks throughout the day, so as not to exceed the amount of simple sugars allowed.
• Among the desserts, you prefer traditional Italian baked products, which contain less fat and sugar and more starch.
• Use in controlled quantities sweet products to spread on bread or toasted slices (such as jams, fruit jams, honey and creams).
• Limit your consumption of products that contain a lot of sucrose, and especially those that stick to your teeth, such as soft candies or nougat.

5. Drink plenty of water everyday

Water advice healthy nutrition nutritionist florence Our body is formed up mainly of water. In newborns, water represents about 75% of weight . This percentage fraction decreases until adulthood, when it stabilizes at around 55-60% of weight.

Within the elderly there's an extra decrease within the amount of total body water, both as an definite quantity and as a percentage fraction. The differences between the sexes are evident ranging from adolescence. The woman, in fact, having a better percentage of fat (poor in water), features a lower percentage of water.

Body water is important for completing all physiological processes and biochemical reactions that occur in our body. Maintaining a good balance of our "water balance" (ratio between the "inputs" and "outputs" of water) is therefore essential to take care of healthiness within the short, medium and future .

Water doesn't contain calories and any short-term change in weight thanks to greater loss or greater water retention is deceptive and momentary.




So, the way to behave?

• Always indulge the sense of thirst and indeed attempt to anticipate it by drinking enough, on the average 1.5 - 2 liters of water per day (8 glasses): also remember that children are more exposed to the danger of dehydration than adults.
• Drink frequently and in small amounts. Drink slowly, especially if the water is cold: actually , a sudden drop by stomach temperature can create conditions for dangerous congestion.
• Elderly people must get wont to drinking frequently throughout the day, during and out of doors meals, even once they do not feel thirsty.
• Water balance must be maintained by essentially beverage , both tap and drinking water , both safe and controlled. Remember that different drinks (such as soft drink , cola-type drinks, fruit juices, coffee, tea) also as supplying water also provide other substances that contain calories or that are pharmacologically active (for example caffeine). These drinks should be utilized in moderation.
• It is wrong to avoid drinking for fear of sweating excessively (sweating is important for regulating body temperature) or gaining weight (water doesn't provide calories).
• During and after physical activity, drink to promptly and promptly replenish the losses thanks to sweating, mainly using water.
• In certain pathological conditions that cause greater loss of water (for example, feverish states or repeated episodes of diarrhea), the lost water must be properly and promptly replenished.

6. Use little salt

Salt advice healthy nutrition nutritionist florence Both the taste and therefore the biological properties of common salt (sodium chloride) are mainly linked to sodium. Under normal conditions, our body eliminates a particular amount of sodium daily, which must be reintegrated with the diet. However, it's not necessary to feature salt to foods, because the sodium contained in nature in foods is already sufficient to hide the body's needs.
Reducing the quantity of salt that's consumed daily isn't difficult, especially if the reduction occurs gradually. In fact, our palate adapts easily, and it's therefore possible to re-educate it to less salty foods. Within a couple of months, or maybe weeks, these same foods will look good , while those seasoned within the previous way will seem too salty.

An average consumption of salt below 6 g per day (1 teaspoon), like an intake of about 2.4 g of sodium, represents an honest compromise between satisfying the taste and preventing the risks related to sodium.




So, the way to behave?

• Gradually reduce the utilization of salt both at the table and within the kitchen.
• Do not add salt to baby food, a minimum of throughout the primary year of life.
• Limit the utilization of other condiments containing sodium (bouillon cube, ketchup, soy sauce, mustard).
• Season foods with aromatic herbs (such as garlic, onion, basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, mint, oregano, marjoram, celery, leek, thyme, fennel seeds) and spices (such as pepper, chilli, nutmeg, saffron, curry ).
• Enhance the flavour of foods using juice or vinegar.
• Choose low-salt product lines when available (unsalted bread, low-salt canned tuna).
• Only occasionally consume processed foods rich in salt (salty snacks, potato chips, table olives, some cured meats and cheeses).
• In moderate sporting activity, it replenishes the liquids lost through sweating with simple water.

7. Consume alcoholic beverages in controlled quantities

Alcoholic advice healthy nutrition nutritionist florence Alcoholic beverages are made up mostly of water, and the remainder of ethyl alcohol (or ethanol). Ethanol is a toxic substance for the body. Ethanol is then metabolized by the human body not according to the real organic needs, as happens for nutrients, but with the sole purpose of being neutralized and eliminated. The human body is in fact mostly able to withstand ethanol without obvious damage as long as it remains within the limits of moderate consumption.

 

Although not a nutrient, ethanol provides a large amount of calories.

 

Ethanol is absorbed already in the first portions of the gastrointestinal tract and, in modest proportions, even in the mouth. Absorption is slower in the presence of food, faster in the presence of carbon dioxide (soda, sparkling wines and other fizzy drinks). Once absorbed, ethanol enters the bloodstream.

 

Metabolization of ethanol occurs at both the gastric and hepatic levels. The enzyme present in the stomach (alcohol dehydrogenase) metabolizes ethanol before it is absorbed and reaches the blood, and therefore the entire body. The enzymes present in the liver, on the other hand, act only after the ethanol has entered the bloodstream and has therefore had the opportunity to exert its effects.

It can be deduced that drinking alcohol on a full stomach is better because it causes ethanol to be absorbed more slowly and decreases the amount that enters the bloodstream.

 

The concentration of ethanol in the blood depends on various factors: amount ingested, mode of intake (fasting or with a meal), body composition, weight, sex, genetic factors, amount of body water, individual ability to metabolize alcohol, habits 'alcohol. Women, having a lower weight, lower amounts of body water and lower efficiency of alcohol metabolization mechanisms, are more vulnerable to its effects and, for the same consumption, have a higher alcohol level (alcohol present in the blood).

So, how to behave?

• If you wish to consume alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation, with meals or, in any case, immediately before or after eating.
• Of all alcoholic beverages, give preference to those with a low alcohol content (wine and beer).
• Avoid alcohol intake altogether during childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and breastfeeding, reduce it if you are elderly.
• Do not consume alcoholic beverages if you have to drive cars or use delicate or dangerous equipment for yourself or others, and therefore you need to keep intact attention, self-criticism and motor coordination.
• If you take any medications (including non-prescription medications), avoid or reduce alcohol consumption unless you have obtained explicit permission from your doctor.
• Reduce or eliminate the intake of alcoholic beverages if you are overweight or obese or if you have a family history of diabetes, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia.